Discovery Channel - Deadliest Catch Diaries

Red Boat Thrill Ride

As a 20-foot wave sweeps across our starboard rail Captain Sten yells into the hailer, “Hang on!” I grab for a hold and my feet leave the floor. The curling wave came from an unexpected direction and caught us by surprise.  It snuck up on us in the dark. The captain immediately checks with the crew to make sure everyone is OK.  The crew responds with a noisy mixture of jubilation and relief.  Reassured that nobody was hurt or washed off the deck, Sten grabs the hailer again and announces that the Sea Star has finally arrived.

This year we are using the Sea Star as our “chase boat.”  It has been at sea all season, shooting the boat-to-boat shots that have become a regular part of Deadliest Catch and provided some of our most iconic images.  Producing on the Sea Star and shooting these images this year is our veteran co-director of photography Zac McFarlane.  He will be using a gyroscopically stabilized camera to film the North American crashing through waves and its men working on deck.  It is an exciting moment for all aboard.

Eric, Davin, John and Travis come up into the wheelhouse just as Zac asks if we can try something different — turn off the forward lights and chase his boat.  Sten says, “That’s crazy!”  However, he does it anyway.  With the lights off on our boat and all of the available light now coming from the Sea Star, backlighting every wave, we begin to see the ocean in a new way.  As we dive blindly into black troughs between the waves and rise to emerald and blazing white foam crests we all gasp at our new visual perspective.  Zac asks for us to move closer and Sten curses but responds anyway, pushing the throttles forward nervously.  Everyone in the wheelhouse starts hooting with each rise and fall of the craft, each experiencing the feeling that one gets during the big drops on a roller coaster in a spooky new way.

In the darkness I struggle to find my camera and turn it on.  It’s nearly impossible to hold a still image, but I manage to at least see Zac strapped onto a platform on the stern of his boat.  It is astounding to see how his boat is hitting waves, ripping off the tops and getting completely enveloped by spray as he attempts to film our vessel, only a hundred feet behind him.   In all of my career I have never seen a cameraman in a more extreme environment.  On the stern of the Sea Star, Zac is rolling camera, trying to hold still and staring into his eyepiece while both vessels rise and fall, completely disappearing between the waves.  With his eyes straining forward Captain Sten says, “He’s nuts!”  At first all I could do was respond, “Yes, he is!” Then I realized it was my turn. “Welcome to Deadliest Catch!” I added.

Photo: Marc Carter/DCL

Sibling Rivalries

Somewhere out on this great sea, my brother Todd is producing and shooting stories aboard the Cornelia Marie.  He has been on my mind a lot today.  Our shared adventures and experiences have always allowed us to play, travel and work together, but they have also placed us in direct competition.  Being seven years older has provided me with some advantage, but my brother is a ferocious competitor.  Any advantage that I have enjoyed has eroded in the last five years as Todd has grown as a producer and a cinematographer.  I now feel the need to keep up with him.

Here aboard the North American, Captain Sten Skaar has similar challenges.  As the older brother, he has always had the advantage of being first, but his brother John has always been close behind.  As the North American’s captain, Sten is in a position to give orders to the whole crew, including John.  Naturally this causes a bit of friction between the two. I find it interesting to be exploring this subject while experiencing it myself at the same time.

Sibling rivalry is natural, but it is not a lot of fun.  It is a story that most of our viewers will understand and relate to--one of the great classic tales.  This brother against brother competition is playing out across the fleet on the majority of the Deadliest Catch vessels.  Everyone out here, the producers, cameramen and the fishermen themselves are all affected by it in some way.  It causes uncomfortable situations, yet it also pushes each of us to excel in our chosen roles and professions.  I find myself wishing that I could somehow rise above it, but no matter how hard I try I cannot.  I can’t help but wonder about the great stories my brother has captured aboard his boat, what great shots he has taken. 

Image: Doug Stanley
Photo: Marc Carter/DCL

Getting Our Footing

The North American has finally arrived on the king crab fishing grounds.  We are late, but ready to fish. Our deck-cameraman Danny slides from his bunk uneasily.  It is his first journey into the Bering Sea.  I notice that it takes him a while to stand and catch his balance.  Danny is unaware of my gaze and concern as I watch him.  He has been seasick and lying in his bunk since we first climbed onboard.  It is now time to go into production mode, and I really need him to rally. 

Engineer and deck boss John Skaar (pictured in orange) also rises from his bunk.  He is anxious to hit the deck and begin baiting and dropping pots over the rail.  He too will have to manage his crew on deck.  Travis, one of John’s deckhands, is seasick as well, but John is not worried about him.  Travis has had a lot of experience fighting though his nausea.  He will be OK.   John is more concerned about managing the other two deckhands, each a master fisherman with his own ideas about how a deck should be run.  He will have to lead Davin Nes (pictured in yellow), a highly experienced fisherman, and Eric Nyhammer, the captain of the Rollo, who has joined us as our fourth deckhand for king crab season.  Both of these men will certainly voice their own opinions.  John practically grew up on the deck of the North American.  It is his home turf and he is likely to defend that position.

As the crew steps out onto the wooden deck, they walk right past cameraman Danny, who is now doubled over puking by the bait-chopper.  All that I can do at this point is shake my head and climb up into the wheelhouse to film the captain during his first pot drops in three years.  It is time to fish and time to shoot.  In the days ahead, each of us will have to define our individual roles and positions aboard this vessel.

Photo: Marc Carter/DCL

Family Legacies

On Deadliest Catch I am fortunate to have the opportunity to work with my wife, Rhea, our land-based producer, camera operator and audio supervisor. Our son, Rex, is also with us this season.  Only 11 months old, he is taking his second trip to Dutch Harbor. I guess you could call him the “Deadliest Catch Kid.”  We are all blessed.  Few families in the television industry get to travel and work together.  In the world of crab fishing, the opposite holds true.  Many of the boats are filled with families -- fathers, sons and brothers working together, or on separate boats, to continue their family fishing legacies.

Looking down through my lens from my perch on Mount Ballyhoo, I see my wife crouched behind some discarded fishing nets.  She is trying to stay out of my shot while we both film the arrival of Deadliest Catch's newest boat, the North American.   Like the Northwestern, Time Bandit, Cornelia Marie and Wizard, the boat is family-owned and operated.  As the boat slides into the dock, Rhea and I are excited.  We will finally have the opportunity to meet both Capt. Sten Skaar and his brother/engineer, John.  We are also anxious to meet the remainder of the crew.

Wearing a black and white Norwegian sweater, Capt. Skaar extends his hand.   His boyish looks and warm smile convey a message of welcome.  Rhea and I are immediately invited aboard the boat and are introduced to the crew.  First we meet young Travis  Arket, the vessel's energetic techie vagabond. His Uncle Jimmy fishes on the Storm Petrel.  We also meet seasoned professional deckhand Davin Nes.  Davin comes from one of the famous Bering Sea crabbing families.  His father, Magnus, is a legendary captain.  His two brothers, Jeffrey and Michael, both fish the Bering Sea.  All of the crew mirror Capt. Sten's warmth and welcome.  Our final crew member, the captain of the Rollo, Eric Nyhammer, has yet to arrive.  He too comes from a famous fishing family.

Soon Rhea and I are led into my state room.  There I find that the crew has prepared my bunk with a brand-new sleeping bag and fresh pillow. This is surprising, but what is most surprising is the presence of a mint on the pillow -- the captain’s personal touch.  As I look at the crew laughing at my surprised expression, I really begin to understand that this is going to be a very different crabbing trip.  "Welcome to the North American," says Capt. Sten.